Machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. RODGERS, Sr.

SAWING MACHINE. No. 482,319. Patented Sept. 6, 1892-.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-8heet 2.

A. RODGERS, Sr.

SAWING MACHINE.

No. 482,319. Patented Sept. 6, 1892.

ZMfl

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER RODGERS, SR., OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE RODGERSIRON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SAWlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 482,319, datedSeptember 6, 1892.

Application filed March 28, 1892. Serial No. 426,806. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER RODGERS, Sr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Muskegon, in the county of Muskegon and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SawingMachines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

The invention relates to improvements in that class of sawing-machineswhich are adapted to reduce logs to boards, in which gang circular sawsare used, and in which the logs are fed to the saws by a suitabledogging mechanism.

The special object of this invention is an improved construction of thefeed mechanism, whereby the logs when placed upon the main feedingmechanism will be firmly held thereon and not be liable to accidentaldisplacement, so that they will be fed to the saws in a positive andcorrect alignment. In this way injury to the saws by improper feeding isavoided, and as the logs are fed in a straight line the lumber will inconsequence be free from warps and other defects, which result fromimproper feeding. In carrying out these improvements a frame isconstructed of metal, upon which the operative parts of thesawing-machine proper are mounted. These consist, essentially, of asuitable driving shaft or arbor revolving in bearings attached to theopposite sides of the frame, said shaft or arbor carryin g theadjustable circular saws, and of a shaft mounted in a similar mannerimmediately back of the arbor, carrying adjustable disks or knives,which are so adjusted that each one of them will be immediately back ofa saw. It also consists of a beam supported longitudinally of themachine, extending from the front of the sawing-machine proper andhaving ways upon its upper surface upon which an endless sprocket-chaindriven by suitable sprocket-Wheels moves and carries bunks or dogs, andalso of an auxiliary dogging device consisting of guides supported atthe side of the beam parallel to the ways on the same, which carry aframework which supports directly over the upper face of the beamaspring-operated dog and which frame is adapted to move on the guideswith the sprocket-chain.

The invention further consists of the novel combination and arrangementof parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, pointed out inthe appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of referencedesignate corresponding parts, Figure l is a plan View of asawing-machine embodying the invention, being broken away in part. Fig.2is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a cross-section showing theguides and frame of the auxiliary dogging device and its adjunctiveparts. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View showing one of the dogs orbunks carried by the sprocketchain. Fig. 5 is a similar view of one ofthe knives to be substituted for the disks.

In the several figures of the drawings, A represents the frame of thesawing-machine proper, consisting, essentially, of two side piecesplaced at suitable distance from each other and firmly united bycross-bars bolted to the side pieces. This frame carries in suitablejournal-boxes c c the arbor B, which crosses the frame and is providedat one end with a pulley C, upon which the belt runs and through whichpower is communicated to the saws, and it is supported outside of thepulley by the bracket D. The construction of the journal-boxes carryingthe arbor is such that the latter can be easily removed.

B B designate the saws carried by the arbor, which are carried thereonand secured by first placing the collar a in position and securing it inplace; or this collar may be made integral with the arbor, thenalternately placing a saw and a splined collar a in position until thedesired number of saws have been mounted, and then by means of the nuto. the saws and their intervening collars are bound together and securedupon the arbor.

In front of the saws the bar I) is secured, having its ends bolted tothe brackets b b,

fastened to the side frames, and it carries the adjustable guides 11 bwhich extend between the saw-blades, serving to steady them in theirproper relative positions and to run true.

IOD

Immediately back of the saw-arbor and parallel with it the shaft F ismounted, with its ends journaled in the journal-boxes d d. On this shaftthe disks F F are mounted and secured in a manner similar to that inwhich the saws are mounted and secured on their arbor. There is the samenumber of disks as there are saws, and they are so adjusted and securedthat each disk will revolve in the same plane as the saw immediately infront of it. These disks may be replaced by the knives Y Y, (shown inFig. 5,) which will answer the same purpose. The disks are, how ever, tobe preferred.

Back of the journal-boxes of the shaft of the disks the standards ff aresecured to the side frames and have pivoted in their upper ends theupper ends of the swinging arms f f, between the lower ends of which thebinding-rollerf is journaled. To limit the forward swing of thebinding-roller, the stops f 3 f are provided. Back of the standards ffthe rollerf is journaled.

On the side frames near their front ends, which are depressed for thepurpose, the journal-boxes h h are secured, in which the shaft h, whichextends transversely of the frame, is journaled. On this shaft, midwayof the side frames, the sprocket-wheel H is keyed. Power is communicatedto the shaft by means of the bevel-gearH', .secured on a projecting endof the shaft and meshing with a similar gear H connected with suitabledriving mechanism.

G designates a beam of suitable size and strength extendinglongitudinally from the front of the frame A and supported by the chainsg g, so that its upper face is nearly flush with the tops of theadjustable guides 1) 17*. On its upper face is secured the ways 9'. Fromthe front end of the beam project the supports g 9 between which thesprocketwheel H similar to the sprocket-wheel H, is keyed on the shaft gjournaled in the adjustable journal-boxes carried by the supports.

I I represent bunks or dogs adapted to travel on the ways g. Each ofthem consists of abase-plate 11, having flanges on its under side toengage with the ways, and has projecting from its upper face the spikesz" i.

K designates an endless sprocket-chain carried by the sprocket-wheels Hand H which passes along the upper face of the beam G toward the sawsand returns beneath the beam, the slack being carried by thesprocket-wheels H H, journaled between the legs of the chairs g g. Thebunks or dogs II are attached to the chain in any suitable manner andmove on their ways with the same, the proper adjustment between thesprocket-wheels H and H to allow the proper register of the sprocketswith the links of the chain being secured by the adjustment of the journal-boxes of the shaft of the wheel [1 L and L designate bracketssecured, respectively, to the front end of one of the side pieces of theframe A and to the front end of the beam G, the bracket L being curvedat its lower end, so as to bring it in alignment with the bracket L,both brackets beingsuch a distance to the side as to allow the necessaryclearance of a log passing on the ways. These brackets carry the guidesZ l, extending longitudinally of the machine and parallel with the ways.Carried by the guides Z l is a frame M, provided with suitable bearingsto register with the guides. The frame is so curved that its upper endwill be directly over the ways g, and has attached thereto the verticalcylinder m. The upper end of the cylinder is provided with an annularflange m. Above the cylinder the annular plate m perforated at itscenter, is supported by means of the bolts m in, passing through itsedge and the annular flange m Within the cylinder the dog m is carried,having a shank m extending from its upper end through the plate mBetween the plate and an abutting portion of the dog around the shank ofthe latter is the coiled spring S, the tendency of which is to force thedog downward. From a suitable place on the frame M the arm R projectsand carries the lever r, the innerend of which is connected by the link'r with the dog m, the cylinder being suitably slotted for the purpose.

The object of the lever is to raisethe dog against the action of thespring. In order to retain the dog in a raised position when it isdesired, the segment S is provided, to which the outer end of the levercan be attached in any suitable manner.

Attached to the front side of the frame M is a rope P, which extends tothe front end of the guides and passes over the sheave Q and hasattached to its free end the weight W.

, By means of the rope and weight the auxilf iary dog will when releasedfrom a log be re- 1 turned to the proper position for the next leg,rendering the action matic.

to some extent auto- X designates a skidway of the ordinaryconstruction, adapted to carry the logs to the feed mechanism.

The operation of the device is as follows:Theauxiliarydoggingmechanismhavingbeen brought into position by theweight and the spring-actuated dog m having been-raised, a log is thenrolled upon the ways in contact with the bunks carried by thesprocket-chain and placed in the proper position to be fed to the saws.The lever 'r is released to allow the spring to drive the dog m firmlyinto the log. The driving mechanism is then put in motion. The dogscarried by the sprocketchain being compelled'to move in a straight lineby the ways g, and the auxiliary dogging mechanism being likewisecompelled to move in a straight line by its guides, the log, beingfirmly held by these devices, will be fed to the saws inapositive andcorrect alignment. The saws in consequence will out even and true kerfs.The disks back of the saws will enter the kerfs and keep the boards fromIIO springing together and pinching the saws on their rear sides tocause friction to heat the saws and injure them. The disks also serve tosustain the boards in an upright position, so that they will not fallsidewise on the saws and be caught up by the latter in their upwardmovement and thrown back on the operator to injure him. Thebinding-roller f serves to bear upon the boards and keep them down ifthey should have a tendency to raise.

By means of the construction described a machine will be secured thatwill lessen the liability of a workman being hurt, that will lessen theliability of the saws being spoiled byimproper feeding and the tendencyof the boards to spring together and be caught by the saws in theirupward movement in the kerfs, and thereby produce friction to heat them,and which will insure a better product of lumber.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure-by Letters Patout, is-

1. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the main feeding mechanism,the frame mounted independent of the said mechanism and movable parallelwith the same, and a dog carried by the said frame, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the ways, the endlesssprocket-chain, the (logs or bunks carried by the said chain, the framemounted to move parallel with the said chain, and the dog carried by thesaid frame, substantially as described.

3. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the main feeding deviceconsisting of the main support or base, the Ways mounted thereon, thesprocket-wheels journaled one at each end of the said support or baseand one of them being adjustable, the chain carried by the said wheels,and the bunks or dogs carried by the said chain, with the frame mountedto move parallel with the said feeding device, and the dog carried bythe frame, substantially as described.

4. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the main feeding mechanism,the movable frame mounted independent of the said mechanism, the dogcarried by the said frame, and the means for retracting the said frame,substantially as described.

5. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the Ways, the endlesssprocket-chain, the dogs or bunks carried on the said ways by the saidchain, the guides parallel with the said ways, and the auxiliary doggingdevice carried by the said guides, substantially as described.

6. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the ways, the endlesssprocket-chain, the dogs or bunks carried on the said ways by the saidchain, the guides parallel with the ways, the frame carried by theguides, and the spring-actuated dog carried by the said frame,substantially as described.

7. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the main feeding mechanism,the guides mounted parallel with the said mechanism, the frame mountedon the said guides, the dog carried by the said frame, and the ropeleading from the frame to the front of the machine,passing over a sheaveand having a weight attached to its end, substantially as described.

8. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the main feeding mechanism,the guides parallel with the line of movement of the said mechanism, theframe movably mounted on the said guides, the cylinder carried by theframe, and the dog movably mounted in the said cylinder, substantiallyas described.

9. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the main feeding mechanism,the frame mounted independent of the said mechanism and movable parallelwith the same, the cylinder carried by the frame, and the dog movablymounted in the said cylinder, substantially as described.

10. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the main feeding mechanism,the frame mounted independent of the said mechanism and movable parallelwith the same, the cylinder carried by the frame, and the springactuateddog mounted in the said cylinder, substantially as. described.

11. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the main feeding mechanism,the frame mounted independent of the said mechanism and movable parallelwith the same, the cylinder carried by the frame, the perforated plateor guide mounted above the cylinder, and the spring-actuated dog mountedin the cylinder and having a shank registering with the perforation inthe said guide or plate, substantially as described.

12. In a sawing-machine, the combination of the main feeding mechanism,the frame mounted independent of the said mechanism and movable parallelwith the same, the cylinder carried by the frame, the springactuated dogmounted in the cylinder, and the lever pivoted to the frame andconnected with the dog, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER RODGERS, SR.

\Vitn esses:

J. O. MCLAUGHLIN, KATIE E. DELANTY.

ITO

